Cardfight Vanguard: Connection
by AlexanderCard23
Summary: A lonely teenager tries to connect with his peers. That's all he wanted. So how exactly does he end up starting a war between the Vanguards of Earth? Well...
1. Something Extraordinary

_Hi, Cardfighters! This is AlexanderCard23, though you can just call me Alex if you prefer. I'm going to warn you now, this is based on the G era style of Vanguard(it's been in production for a while, okay?). And of course, if you notice anything you think could use improvement, feel free to leave a constructive review. Or just review in general, that's good too._

_By the way, this story will contain none of the characters from the canon Vanguard series. I wanted to build my own story without relying on established characters. Of course, I don't own Cardfight Vanguard, all of the real cards and plot points from the original series mentioned here belong to Bushiroad, you get the idea. Though, I do own the characters and cards I created. With that done, on with the story!_

**October 17, 2016**

Class was in session for the residents of Dran High School, and with a mere half an hour left of school before the weekend, each and every student was suffering. The proteges of Mrs. Ferona, the physics teacher, were no exception, "Alright, the last thing we're going to do today is practice the relation between speed, distance, and time," the teacher proclaimed.

Unfortunately for her, few of the students were listening, preferring instead to stare longingly at the clock. The teacher continued, seemingly undaunted by the students' lack of attention. More likely, the half-blind teacher didn't even notice the boredom which seemingly suffocated the students. "There will be some papers on the wall outside the classroom, so you just have to complete the problems on those papers. Those who finish early can work on the homework."

There was a collective groan from the class in response to this statement. Many of the students bandied around statements such as "I wish I'd gone to a different high school" and "Why are we required to take this class?"

One brave soul from among them inquired, "Are we allowed to work with a partner?" His fellow teenagers loudly voiced their approval, and the teacher stroked her chin for a moment. To the students' collective surprise, she nodded, and cheers erupted from the boys seated in the back of the room. Having always been socially inclined, they celebrated this minor victory in the seemingly endless war against education.

Two of the boys near the front, however, were less visibly excited at this outcome. One had dark brown hair which reached to his shoulders, while the other had short black hair. The former seemed pale at the thought of collaborating with anyone, while the latter maintained a disinterested expression throughout his fellows' cheers. Both quickly moved towards the door as soon as they were allowed.

One of the boys nearer the back scurried after the duo, pausing beside the brown-haired teen. This teenager, blonde hair spread chaotically across his head, was bouncing on his feet. His blue eyes looked excitedly at his brown-haired fellow, and he quickly asked, "Do you want to be my partner, Joseph?"

Turning to face the blond-haired teen with a nervous expression on his face, Joseph's reply came as a stutter more than anything, "Oh, um, s-sorry Ryan, but I don't think it would work out. I'm not very good in groups like this; they, uh, kinda make me uncomfortable."

The blond faltered in the center of the hallway, gave an awkward smile, and said, "Oh, I understand. Well, see ya." Ryan turned away from Joseph to see that most of the other people were already working, including the black-haired boy.

Now a bit panicked, he nonetheless tried to smile as he extended his hand towards his last possibility. "So, do _you _want to be my partner, Blake?"

Focused on the equation he was in the midst of performing, the black-haired teen, evidently called Blake, didn't even notice the proffered hand. Instead, he simply grunted, "No. I don't do partners. Nobody does their work and I could get more done without them."

The blond felt his smile dissipate, and slowly lowered his hand. "A-Are you sure?" His tone seemed desperate, and something in his eyes suggested that this was more than a mere partnership to him.

Unfortunately, this didn't register to the lone wolf. His eyes flickered upward from the sheet for a moment before he responded, this time more forcefully. "Yes, I'm sure. Now stop bothering me." His glare lingered briefly, before he turned his attention back to the classwork. In seconds, Blake had seemingly forgotten about the interruption entirely.

Ryan looked around, praying for a partnership with anyone else, but all the other options had already paired up with each other. Looking back at the problems on the wall, his eyes narrowed with anger. His brows furrowed and his teeth clenched as he stalked away from Blake.

"Haven't we known each other for months?" He muttered darkly under his breath. "Don't we sit together at lunch? Don't I deserve more than that look of annoyance? If we didn't have so many classes together, I doubt you would even know my name."

Ryan continued muttering in this fashion for almost two full minutes, completely ignoring the cordial, albeit distant, attitude Blake had greeted him with for most of the school year. Indeed, with every sentence, his mood worsened until he was well-convinced that he had the misfortune of taking the same classes as the worst human on Earth.

In the midst of his sulking, Ryan felt a dull pain appear in his chest. His words halted as his frustration was redirected towards a new source. _Why have I been getting these pains recently? Oh, how could today get any worse?_

The rest of class passed quickly, though Ryan's mood was still soured by his rejection. His attention was entirely occupied by waiting for the bell to ring. As soon as that happened, he shouldered his backpack and stomped down the stairs as though they had personally insulted his family.

Opening the doors, he felt a new, though not unwelcome sensation: the crisp autumn breeze brushing past him and ruffling his hair. _What do you know, the weather is actually pretty nice for once. That's a first for Indiana. _

Despite his best efforts to remain negative, the corner of his mouth still twitched in a rogue attempt to smile_._ _I mean, sure, my birthday is coming in just a few weeks. But that's it! Well, I guess there's Carly coming over tomorrow too. Oh, and that reminds me; it's the weekend! And a gaming store just opened nearby, of course, got to check that out. And then there was the..._

By the time he had finished listing off the reasons he had to be happy, he had quite forgotten what he had been so upset about. Now with a spring in his step, he began the half-hour walk home. At first, he encountered a few classmates along the way. After a few minutes, however, the crowd thinned and Ryan made the rest of the journey in relative peace.

Accustomed to the quiet journey, he simply wandered in his imagination for awhile. That is, until he remembered somebody who might also be interested in a new game store. Whipping out his phone, he began texting someone with considerable enthusiasm.

_Hey Jay, do you want to come with me to the gaming store near here?_

After a minute of no response, Ryan pocketed his phone, content to wait. In no time at all, he had arrived at his front door, painted a bright yellow by his energetic sister Carly. As he opened the door, his ears detected a loud conversation from the kitchen. He could make out his mother's voice, though not her words. Suppressing his concern for the moment, he made his way to the stairs, tiptoeing so as to avoid the dreaded "How was your day at school, honey?"

Ascending both of the house's flights of stairs in quick succession, he came upon their spacious attic, which was divided into two sections. The far side of the room was occupied by a multitude of boxes, from which Ryan quickly averted his eyes. On the other side was a bright-pink chair, another of Carly's design choices. Beside it stood a wooden desk, which was dominated by a sleek new computer.

Shrugging off his backpack and shirt, Ryan sat down in the cushioned seat. Leaning back in his chair, he looked down at his torso, which was devoid of anything resembling muscle. He had never been very interested in physical activity, though his metabolism kept him from being overweight. Indeed, for his height of five-foot ten-inches, he was quite skinny.

Preferring not to stare at his lackluster physique, he searched for the shirt he had placed on the desk that morning. Holding up beside a nearby window, the shirt bore an image of a man with long black hair, wearing a black shirt and white pants. He also wore a white jacket, orange lining visible on his collar and rolled-up sleeves. A massive yet elegant sword, the same length as the man himself, occupied his left hand. Studding the man's jacket and hair were green beads, seeming to serve a purely decorative purpose.

Ryan donned the detailed shirt, which he had bought at a gaming convention just last year. He spun around in the chair for a moment before retrieving his phone from his pocket, a reply having appeared on screen. Unfortunately, it wasn't what he wanted to hear. '_Sry. It's one of my cousins' birthdays.' _

Ryan sighed in frustration. Scrolling upwards through the messages they had sent over the last two months, he started to see a trend. '_I'm catching up on some work.' 'Got to do a project.' 'Can't come. Next week for sure.'_

Ryan scowled at the reminders. He had been trying relentlessly to get in touch with his best friend from middle school, but so far, every attempt had ended in failure. His new friends were alright, he supposed, but his relationships just weren't the same. Something about his old friends, the fun they had, the games they played, the jokes Berry had constantly made, it all seemed irreplaceable.

_The games we played..._Feeling nostalgic and wanting something that reminded him of home, _real home_, he walked back down the stairs to the second floor. Opening the door to his room, he stepped carefully through the mess of old clothes, overdue papers, and small packages to arrive at a shelf near his bed. Reaching atop the shelf, he located a hand-sized, rectangular box from among the junk. Opening the cover of the box, he extricated a group of sleeved trading cards.

Numbering exactly sixty-six, the cards were filled with words and numbers his family had never been able to comprehend. Near the center of the cards were various images of sword-wielding Japanese warriors. One card in particular stood out as the man depicted on his shirt. The card's name was Supreme Heavenly Battle Deity, Susanoo.

Ryan reached out to touch the card, smiling tenderly. He felt overwhelmed by memories of childish laughter and playful shouts. As his hand made contact, however, the pain from earlier in the day returned, this time much more severe. Shocked, his arm jerked automatically, forcing his hand off the card. Just like that, the pain stopped, and no mark of its existence remained.

Ryan stared at the card wonderingly, questioning if it had been a mere illusion of his tired mind. After a moment of deliberation, he poked the card and quickly jerked back, but felt no ill effects.

Blinking suspiciously for a moment, he picked up the cards and quickly put them back in the deck box. Leaving it on the floor, he stood up and slowly backed away from the box, as though it were some dangerous animal. _You know, I should really see how my parents are doing. Yeah, that sounds like a great idea._

Unbeknownst to him, that moment was the start of something more unusual than had ever before been seen in the suburbs of Indiana. Something decidedly more dangerous.


	2. The Friendship Plan

_Hey guys! It's been a while, I know, but I wanted to make this a double upload so that you guys could have Connection's first cardfight. Anyways, random disclaimer, I don't own Vanguard, remember to review, all that good stuff. On with the story! _

As Ryan arrived in the dining room downstairs, he saw his mother making mashed potatoes for their dinner later. Her face was drawn into a furious scowl, and her potato-mashing seemed more like a violent act than food preparation. Knowing her, the food would still end up being more edible than anything he could prepare.

His father looked up from the television show he was watching in the next room over. As per usual, it was a superhero series, and from the looks of it, he had watched multiple episodes ahead of the rest of the family.

Ryan had inherited most of his nerdish qualities from his father, who had always been infatuated with comics and games about superheroes. Even his job involved comic books, and his collection was impressive to say the least.

Unfortunately, marrying Ryan's mother forced him to become a "responsible parent", though Ryan was unconvinced that pretending to hold your daughter's hand only to lead her directly into a wall qualified as responsible behavior. They were still laughing about it ten years later when Carly wasn't in the room. And sometimes when she was.

Glancing towards Ryan's mother, Dad shook his head. _Don't mess with her. Got it. _His mother had been stressed enough times over the last few years that the two had developed this warning system. Ever since her promotion a few years ago, she was always scrambling to do the work her higher-ups needed of her.

After watching the episode with his father for a few minutes, Ryan's mother announced that it was time for dinner. As he came into the room, Ryan saw the scowl still present on her face. Silently wondering what could have caused her such irritation, his question was answered shortly after they sat down.

"They want a dozen forms sent in by Thursday. If we don't, we won't be in-the-running for the grant. Even if we do, every one of our competitors wants it too." She sighed, her eyes softening as the anger in her expression was replaced with melancholy. "I've met some of them. They're nice people, and they need that grant just as much."

Before anybody could do anything to console her, her face returned to a more neutral state. "Everybody else is suffering with under-staffing issues. I'm going to have to write all the forms myself."

His father spoke up, sounding much more serious than usual. "Honey, you can't do all that in a few days. It's just unreasonable. You won't have any time to spend with the kids. Carly is visiting from college tomorrow, remember?"

"I have to." She picked up her plate, having eaten the food quickly and without giving any impression of tasting it. She looked at Ryan, whose face showed visible shock, and offered him a wane smile before leaving the room.

Only once her distinct footsteps, which seemed to lack their usual measured confidence, had disappeared up the stairs did Ryan speak again. "So...should I wait to go to the game store until later?"

Ryan knew immediately that what he had said was insensitive to his mother, and his father seemed to know it too, based on his offended expression. Within a few seconds, however, something in his gaze shifted. He gave a smile, not the amused kind that he seemed to wear so often. No, Ryan saw only the "I'm-your-parent-and-I-understand-you kind" of smile. The kind that all teenagers despise, because it's not like their parents were ever teenagers.

Frustratingly, his father did not seem to grasp this basic aspect of teenage life. "I know you're still trying to make friends after the move," he said, and amusement blended into that smile for a moment. "I still remember you trying to invite Blake over a week after you met him. It's been two months since then and I still haven't seen his face."

His expression quickly returned to that infuriating sympathy. "But you should try to make friends outside of a game store. Just because most of your old friends played your games doesn't mean you can't have new ones who don't like them. I mean, you can't judge if they're friend material just based on whether or not they play a game called 'Cardfight Vanguard.'"

He rolled his eyes, losing a bit of his sympathy as he remembered long drives with his son and friends. The entire ride was filled with questions like _"Which do you think would win in a game between Blaze Kagero and Magia Pale Moon?"_

Ryan, meanwhile, seemed absolutely affronted. "Excuse me, _Dad,_ but literally everybody who doesn't play Vanguard is a loser. Including you. Mainly you," he added, doing his best to clear up any confusion.

His dad placed a hand on his forehead before giving a melodramatic sigh. "Oh no, a teenager thinks I'm not cool. However am I to recover?" He smirked wickedly behind his hand. "I suppose that a loser like me couldn't possibly drive you to the game store."

Ryan paused for a moment, processing the severity of the threat. He quickly decided he couldn't risk his fun weekend on the off chance his father was serious. He gave what he must've thought was a charming smile, though it came off quite as fake as it actually was. "You know, I was just joking, Dad. I love you. You're just the best dad ever. And such a great dad would definitely drive his son to the game store."

His dad nodded with a benevolent smile on his face. "I suppose I could drive you, since you asked so nicely. But first, you'll have to wash all of our dishes."

Ryan's eyes twitched as his father strolled lazily out of the room. He didn't dare object for fear of losing his ride. _Well played, Dad. Well played. _Still, he couldn't help but be happy at his father's return to his usual antics.

As he washed the silverware, the image of a certain object creeped in from the back of his mind, ruining his good cheer. _Oh yeah, that._ Quickly finishing with the dishes, he raced up the stairs and threw open his door. The deck box was still lying there on the floor. Edging around the unmoving piece of plastic, he dropped onto his bed with a sigh.

Rubbing his forehead, he thought deeply about the situation. _Do I really want to bring_ that _deck to the store? Why not take one that doesn't randomly hurt me for no reason?_

Unfortunately, there was no such deck in his room. All of his other ones were upstairs in the moving boxes. He could probably find them given half an hour of searching. Given the choice between getting up and looking for them or using the cursed deck, there really wasn't any choice.

After all, he could spend that half-hour in far more productive ways. Like sitting on his bed and staring at the ceiling, for example.

With that sorted out, Ryan pulled out his phone. No messages. Sighing melodramatically, he began to scroll through his contacts and contemplate how none of them had called him recently.

Suddenly, his eyes happened upon one of the names, and he smiled in a fashion that was altogether too wicked for what he intended. _I'll show you, Dad. I can easily make friends with people. Who are already acquaintances. _He clicked on the call button, and within a few seconds, a soft voice rang out from his phone. "Yes?"

"Hey, Lily. So I was wondering if you wanted to come over tomorrow? Oh, this is Ryan, by the way. From school."

"Oh hi, Ryan! Hmmm...I don't think I have anything going on tomorrow. Hold on, I'll check with my parents." Ryan waited through a few seconds, holding his breath and trying not to grin prematurely. "Yeah, I'm free tomorrow. Do you know when you want to meet?"

Ryan almost began a victory dance(which would've undoubtedly been horrific to witness, as he was an atrocious dancer) before he heard the question. Thinking for a moment, he recalled his dad saying they would go to the store at 3:00. "I think early afternoon, 1:00 or 2:00 maybe, would work. Can you make it then?"

"Sure. If you send me your address, I should be there by 1:30. Bye, Ryan!"

"See you then," he said, ending the call. He smiled, satisfied with the day. _See, Dad? I can make friends who don't play Vanguard. One whole friend. Two, if you count Blake. _He contemplated that for a moment. _Okay, one friend. But still, she doesn't know how to play. _At that, he smiled deviously. _For now._

He was quite unconcerned with the paradoxical nature of that victory. Instead, he ran out the door and up the stairs to gather the essentials for tomorrow. "Alright, let's do this!" He was convinced that nothing would dampen his enthusiasm.

**A few hours later...**

_Walking. Endless walking. He walked along a perfectly white road. There were no distractions from this task. Not in any direction, for after all, every direction was the same shade of white. _

_In this world, there had never been a single bit of color, a single object, a single person. This was a world of no emotions and no progress. Lofty aspirations couldn't exist in a barren wasteland of white. Even the simple desire to grow was rather pointless, for the whiteness would always be larger still. Eternal, and all-encompassing._

_Nothing and no one could live in a world like this. Except for the lone figure, it would seem. _

_How long he walked that road, he would never know. Eventually, though, he arrived at a place that was distinctly _different. _In a world of pure white, even the slightest shade of grey stood out, and this was no shade of grey. It was a bright blue, with an indistinct shape and a size that couldn't be judged._

_For a moment, he had to shield his eyes from the sight. But he kept walking towards the blue all the same, hopeful for some change. And when he finally reached it, something _did _change. _

His surroundings became blue.

For a moment, he wanted to scream in frustration. Then he shifted, and felt something shift at his back. Looked up and saw an edge, an end to the monotony. Heard a deep rumbling, the dying breaths of a giant.

He felt change, and he was satisfied.


	3. The Apprenticeship

_Hey guys, so I uploaded the second chapter and this one back-to-back. If you missed it, go check that one out first. Good? Good._

_Also, this is going to be the first cardfight of the story, so if anyone has any recommendations on the format, I would greatly appreciate it. Of course, if you want to leave any other feedback, that would also be great. I don't own Vanguard, Bushiroad does, but I do own my OCs._

**October 17, 2016**

The next morning, Ryan woke up groggily to the sun peeking through his window. He smiled and curled back into the blankets, safe in the knowledge that it was Saturday. There were no deadlines, all the homework had been finished in class, and he had everything to look forward to. For now though, all he particularly felt like doing was sleeping and trying to remember that odd dream he'd been having.

Unfortunately, he soon heard the sound of his nearby phone buzzing with a text message. He immediately lunged for his phone, heart swelling with hope. _Could they have let Jay-oh, it's just Carly_. _Telling me she'll arrive this morning. Which I already knew. _He sighed. _Of course it is. _

The situation sorely tempted him to slam his head against the nearest wall with as much speed as he could muster. Fortunately, his common sense and the fact that he couldn't recall the last time he'd done that(which was honestly more concerning than if he could) dissuaded him.

Instead, Ryan dragged himself out of bed, shuffled over to his closet, and picked out the first outfit he saw, a crimson t-shirt with white shorts. Beginning to feel hunger gnawing at his now conscious body, he left his room and descended the stairs in pursuit of sustenance.

But just as he was opening the cabinet to grab a PopTart, the eternal staple of his breakfast, his ears detected the faint sound of barking and a high-pitched voice. He barely had time to recognize the signs before the door was thrown open.

"I'm home!" That same voice cried as it's owner, a young woman who shared Ryan's short stature and blonde hair, stepped through the door. She caught sight of Ryan and immediately broke into a grin. "Ryan!"

"Hey, Carly," her brother mumbled, too tired this early in the morning to muster a more energetic response. Though he did smile a bit when he saw the source of the previous barking noises; Carly's puppy, Micah. The tiny dog was even now bounding around Ryan's legs, trying desperately to gain access to his face. But its efforts were in vain, as even on his hind legs, he barely reached Ryan's knees.

Once Micah had spent some portion of his seemingly infinite energy by running literal circles around Ryan, the teen was finally able to have his meal., Carly sat down beside him and began digging through her purse. "So, do you want to see the pictures I took of Mi-Mi while I was at my apartment?" Mi-Mi, of course, being the inexplicably feminine nickname given to her dog.

Before he could so much as say "Oh God, please no", she had already pulled out her phone and turned to the first photo. Evidently, Carly had decided to tie red ribbons all around Micah's ears and neck. "Isn't he adorable? Oh, and this is the one where he has a tiny cowboy hat. And here's him with his winter coat on."

For the next half-hour, Ryan was regaled with photos and stories all about 'Mi-Mi'. At every interval where he was asked, Ryan simply nodded. It was, after all, usually best not to disagree with Carly. After that, she showed him more photos of dogs she had found on her Instagram, then proceeded to chat cheerfully about life at her new apartment. And of course, she just had to drag him over to the living room, since "We have to watch this show, Ryan! I just know you're gonna love it!"

When noon approached, Ryan found his escape route. "Well, we better find something to have for lunch," he said once the latest video ended. "I think we have leftover Chinese. I'll go heat that up, since I doubt Mom's making anything." At the mention of their parents, Ryan thought he saw the omnipresent smile on Carly's face drop for a moment. But when he blinked, she was already moving to the kitchen fridge.

"I'll do it. I was feeling like having a snack anyways. Do you want anything?" Carly asked as she removed a small box from the fridge. Seeing Ryan merely shrug, she continued onwards. "So how have you been? Come up with any new strategies for 'Cardfight Vanguard'?" The last two words, put in air quotes, were spoken with all the playful mockery of the family joke.

Ryan rolled his eyes, but nevertheless, he soon began to tell her all about the most recently released cards. After all, his family rarely expressed any interest in playing or discussing many of his hobbies, particularly this one. Each of them had wildly different ways to spend their time, after all, and while Mom considered it a positive, Ryan still found it irritating at times.

In the midst of his monologue and inner thoughts, however, he failed to notice that Carly wasn't paying the conversation even a hint of attention. Instead, she was staring thoughtfully at the orange chicken, only taking occasional bites. Her smile had dropped, and that sorrowful expression Ryan thought he saw was now much more apparent.

Yet by the time Ryan had finished his meal, and after that, his speech, Carly was playing with Micah on the floor. Her smile was back in place, and Micah was scrambling after the toys she threw. She might well have been doing it the entire time.

Ryan knew his sister well enough to guess that any further attempts to talk with her would be ignored in favor of coddling her dog. And so with a wry smile, he decided to simply leave her to it and go upstairs to tidy up his appearance.

**One hour later…**

Ryan paced nervously around the living room, taking glances at the window every few seconds_._ Each time, he failed to see any cars driving past, and each time, he grew more and more anxious. _She's already three minutes late. What's taking her so long? Was it just traffic? Or did something come up, and she had to cancel? Well, she would've texted me if that happened. Unless…_

Ryan's face paled at the last possibility. He looked down at his phone, hoping for evidence to invalidate that notion. But there were no messages.

_She wouldn't have to text me if she never planned to come over at all. _

If Lily, the only person who had been willing to have friendly interactions with him for the entire year, had done all of it as part of some cruel joke...The very idea sickened him.

Lily had always seemed very quiet. He had been sitting beside her in science for months now, and had barely heard her speak unless specifically called upon. Outside of that, all Ryan really knew about her was her phone number and that she happened to play one of the board games he enjoyed.

Still, she had entertained all of his conversation, nodding attentively when he spoke. She certainly hadn't seemed the type to purposefully inconvenience others just for entertainment. _Then again, if that was her goal, would she really make it that obvious? _

Troubled, Ryan barely noticed Micah barking at the door. Nor, over that grating sound, did he hear a car pulling into his driveway. Only when he glanced back towards the window did he notice the light blue Prius now parked a few yards from his house.

His family didn't own a Prius.

Ryan rushed to the door, throwing it open just as a red-haired girl was raising her hand to knock. Her dark eyes met his blue ones for a few awkward seconds, and embarrassment flooded through him as he realized how desperate that must have seemed. Breaking eye contact, he mumbled, "Ah, hi. I've been waiting for-no, umm.." Lily stared at him for a moment before he finally managed to squeak out, "Please come in."

She continued to look at him for a few seconds longer, then shrugged and stepped inside, with Ryan closing the door behind her. He took a deep breath, and trying to move past that moment of awkwardness, asked, "Was there anything you wanted to do?"

"Not particularly," came her laconic response. Ryan couldn't judge her expression; she wasn't displaying any obvious emotions, and he had never been adept at picking up more subtle indicators.

After a moment of thought, Ryan decided to move into the living room, with Lily following in his shadow. Reaching under a shelf, he extracted a large, colorful box. "I believe this was the game you liked?"

Receiving a small smile and a nod, Ryan grinned in relief and began to set up the board. They each chose characters and placed their starting pieces on the board.

A few minutes into the game, Ryan began his turn by picking up one of the tokens in the box. While contemplating his next move, he worked up the courage to ask, "Have you ever heard of a game called Vanguard?"

There was a pause while Lily looked up to the ceiling. "Yes," she finally responded, making Ryan start. _For real?! I'd be lucky to get a "what's that?" out of most of the other people at Dran! This is amazing!_

In the midst of his internal exuberation, Lily continued. "My older brother loves that game, actually."

"So do you play?" Ryan asked excitedly.

"No, he only got interested in senior year. He ended up leaving for college before he could teach me." Lily's eyes continued to burn into the ceiling, now sparking with some emotion Ryan couldn't quite identify. He inwardly cursed his lack of emotional intelligence.

A bit more softly, just to be safe, he said, "Well...maybe if you learn the game, you can play it with him when he gets back. I'm always wishing that my sister would at least try to learn some of the games I play, so he'd probably think it was cool."

"Maybe…" Lily trailed off. "But he's been pretty quiet lately. Doesn't act as nerdy, or goofy. He says he's fine, but still, I wonder sometimes."

Now feeling rather insensitive for asking, Ryan nonetheless felt obligated to keep digging into this hole he'd started. "Do you think I could teach you?"

She didn't respond with anger like he had been fearing; in fact, after just a moment's consideration, she nodded. "I...I want to try to connect with him on this. And I mean, it might be fun, too. I'll at least try it out."

Ryan internally and externally cheered, attracting the attention of his father from his desk in the adjacent room. "So what are you two doing down there?" he called out, peeking around the door.

"Nothing, Dad," Ryan responded, rolling his eyes. As his father was about to return to his EBoo shipments, Ryan added, "By the way, could you drop us off at the new game store in-" The rest of his sentence died in his throat as he checked the time on his phone. "Crap, it's already 2:50!"

"So?" Lily asked, following Ryan curiously as he dashed up the stairs towards his room.

"Sooooo, that's when Dad told me he would take us to the new game store. We have to get there earlier than everyone else, or else the best packs will already be taken!" Ryan replied, shoving a trade binder and a deck box into his backpack. In his haste, he almost put the trade binder atop the cursed deck box, which he'd carefully laid in the pack yesterday night.

"I didn't realize that card game players were so cutthroat," Lily commented dryly. Ryan shouldered the pack, and was advancing towards the hallway when she continued, "And I never said I wanted to go to a game store, just that I wanted to learn the rules."

Ryan paused in the doorframe, happy expression immediately dissipating. "You...you're not coming?"

"I didn't say that either," she pointed out. "I suppose it's a bit sudden, but I might as well go all the way with this."

Ryan blinked for a moment, processing the information, before he shouted, "Well, why didn't you just say that then?!" Lily quietly laughed, but offered no other response. Ryan rolled his eyes. "Oh, fine. But if you're going to come, we'd better hurry."

And hurry they did; in less than five minutes, they were piled into his dad's sports car. Around ten minutes more, and they pulled into a parking lot, giving Ryan his first glimpse of the place he had been waiting for. The windows were filled with posters of characters from various franchises, and the glass door stood invitingly beneath a picture of Vanguard's iconic unit, Dragonic Overlord. The sign outside the brick building christened the place Gaming Empire.

Ryan climbed out and walked briskly towards the store, with Lily soon striding beside him. His father drove off, and Ryan turned to Lily, offering a reassuring smile that could've been intended for either of them. They each placed a hand on the door, and pushed towards the future.

The future sold a surprising amount of potato chips, it seemed.

As a chime announced their presence, Ryan saw various groups of people sitting at plain white tables. He spotted many board games, but despite the poster outside the door, he saw not a single game of Vanguard being played. His heart sank, but he still tried to smile as he pointed to a nearby table. "Let's sit over there."

They took their positions on opposite sides of the table, and Ryan carefully laid out two deck boxes, passing one to Lily and keeping the strange one for himself. Both decks were sleeved, and Lily looked through her deck, seemingly trying to decipher the text on her own. Finally, she asked, "Okay, so how do I play?"

Ryan opened his mouth to respond when a voice came from beside the table. "Wait, you're trying to teach her how to play? And with a deck like THAT?" A tall, black-haired boy picked up the deck Ryan had given her with all the tenderness of a bear, scrolling through the cards with a disapproving expression. "Oh please, it would be MUCH better with these cards." He held up a binder and removed four copies of a card. Supreme Ruler of the Storm, Thavas.

_Did he expect my spare deck to be completely up-to-date with the most recent sets? Talk about unreasonable_. Even while Ryan was fostering a growing dislike for the newcomer, whose green eyes seemed to shine with mischievous intent, Lily smiled and accepted the cards. "Thanks," she said gratefully. "What do I owe you?"

"Oh, we're not allowed to exchange money in the store. Defeats the whole point, I'd imagine. Tell you what, I'll give them to you, free of charge, if I get to teach you how to play instead," he said, eyes glancing towards Ryan.

_But, I wanted to share that..._Ryan looked at the new cards, and after a few moments of conflict, he sighed. "Go ahead. I-I don't mind," he said, forcing himself to lie.

Gesturing for Ryan to move over, the newcomer took his place opposite Lily. In the midst of setting up his cards on what looked to be a custom-ordered playmat, he finally gave his name. "I'm August, in case you were wondering."

Once that was done, August clapped his hands together. "So, we start the game by taking a Grade 0 card from our deck-" He paused, looking at Lily's inquisitive expression. "Oh come on, I've already lost you?!" He sighed, pinching his nose. "Fine, fine. The grade is at the top-left corner. And don't pick one with a symbol at the top-right."

"Anyway, put the card face-down on the vanguard circle," he continued, indicating the circle with a "V" before placing his own card. "Then we shuffle our decks and draw 5 cards from our deck. The rest I can explain as we play. You can go first."

"But how do I win? I have the odd feeling that I need to know that," Lily remarked dryly, with Ryan looking on in apprehension. _He seems to forget a lot of details, doesn't he? Oh, I'm not sure that this was such a good plan._

"Oh, you attack the vanguard. This is, the unit on the vanguard circle. If the attack lands, we put the top card of our deck into the damage zone." He pointed to a white strip on his playmat, on the opposite side from his deck. "Once you have 6 cards in your damage zone, you lose."

"Now we start the game by flipping our starting vanguard face-up, like so." He flourished, slipped his hand beneath his card, and lifted it above his head before slamming it back onto the mat. "Stand up, Vanguard! **Extreme Battler, Kabutron**(Grade 0, 5000 Power)!" The card depicted a small mech with a bright red exterior, golden armor, and horns atop it's circular head.

After a moment of looking at his card, Lily revealed her own. "**Officer Cadet, Andrey**(Grade 0, 5000 Power)." This card showed a child, a boy in a military uniform and armed with a blade.

"Alright, so at the start of your turn, you draw a card. Then if you have a card in your hand that's one Grade higher than your current vanguard, you can put it on top of your vanguard. That action is called riding. When you ride a unit, it becomes the new vanguard, while the old one goes under it. The pile of cards under your vanguard is called the soul, which certain cards interact with."

"Okay," Lily said, nodding her understanding. She drew a card, then separated one of the cards in her hand from the others. "I ride **Battle Siren, Melania**(Grade 1, 7000 Power)."

"Good. Now, Officer Cadet, Andrey, like any good starting vanguard, has an ability that lets him move to one of your rear-guard circles when you ride on top of it." August gestured to the circles to the left and right of the vanguard, as well as the three behind that row. All five had a large "R" imprinted on them.

"Most people put their starting vanguard behind the vanguard." Lily followed his advice, though before she could ask for the reasoning behind it, August added impatiently, "I'll show you why on my turn. Now, the person who goes first can't attack, so you should end your turn."

"Okay. I'll do that, then."

"Alright, finally. It's my turn." August drew his card, and smirked at the sight of it before tucking it among his cards. "I ride **Extreme Battler, Arashid**(Grade 1, 7000 Power). Moving Kabutron behind my vanguard(Grade 0, 5000 Power)."

"Now I Rest Arashid," he continued, turning the card sideways, "to attack your vanguard. And I Rest Kabutron to boost that attack, which means Kabutron adds its Power to the attacking unit in front of it. So the total Power is 12000."

**(7000+5000=12000) VS (7000)**

Seeing this development, Ryan decided to cut in. "You know, you can defend yourself from his attacks. All you have to do is put a card from your hand in front of your vanguard. Then the Shield value on the left side of the card will be added to your vanguard's Power for that attack. As long as your total exceeds his total Power, you won't take damage."

"Okay, so I should play this one?" Lily asked, pointing to one of the cards in her hand. Ryan nodded, and Lily played a Grade 0, the Stand trigger **Dolphin Soldier of Leaping Wind Seas**, from her hand.

**(12000) VS** **(7000+10000=17000)**

August shrugged, turning over a card in his deck. When he saw it was a Grade 2, he scowled, but put it into his hand. Before Ryan could do any more explaining, August stated loudly, "When your vanguard attacks, you reveal the top card of your deck. If it has one of the symbols I mentioned earlier, you can apply a certain effect. Mine didn't, but I still get to add the card to my hand."

"That's called a drive check," Ryan added in an attempt to be helpful.

"Yeah," August said, staring at him with visible annoyance. "Anyways, your guard succeeded, and I don't have any more units to attack with, so I end my turn."

"After the battle, your guardians go to your drop zone. Basically, your discard pile," Ryan clarified, and Lily moved her card to the labeled zone behind her deck. "Oh, and on your next turn, you can call cards from your hand to one of your rear-guard circles, as long as they have equal or lower grades than your vanguard."

**[End of Turn 2]**

**Lily-Hand: 4 August-Hand: 6**

**Lily-Damage: 0(Facedown: 0) Liam-Damage: 0(Facedown: 0)**

August sent a hostile glare towards Ryan, who shrunk back in fright. "If you let me actually teach her how to play, that would be delightful," August said, drawing out the last word. Ryan only nodded meekly.

Lily looked on disapprovingly, but seemed to shake it off before she could comment. "Alright, so I draw. Riding...**Magnum Assault**.(Grade 2, 9000 Power.) Now I call Magnum Assault(Grade 2, 9000 Power) and Battle Siren, Melania(Grade 1, 7000 Power)." Both were called to the front row alongside her vanguard. "So now I attack with my Vanguard, and boost with Andrey."

**(9000+5000=14000) VS (9000)**

"No guards."

"Drive check. Hey, my card has one of those symbols!" Lily exclaimed, holding up a card with a yellow symbol.

August deadpanned at the sight. "That's a Critical trigger. It lets you give 5000 Power to any unit when you reveal it, like all triggers, and it also lets you increase the Critical of any unit. That is, the amount of damage the unit deals when its attack hits. You can choose to give the effects to different units, too."

"Oh, so I can give 5000 Power to Melania and the extra damage-er, Critical, to my vanguard?" **(Melania: 7000+5000=12000)**

"Yep. Damage checks, no trigger. And...ha! Draw trigger! That lets me give my vanguard 5000 Power for the turn AND draw a card. So Magnum Assault won't even be able to hit!" August threw his hands triumphantly into the air. **(Arashid: 7000+5000=12000)**

"That's too bad. I guess I'll just attack with-" Before she could even finish her sentence, August had thrown down a Grade 1 card as a guardian. He smirked, putting the card into his drop zone.

"My move. Standing my Resting units," August said, moving his cards back to upright positions. Ryan quietly noted that August didn't say anything about how units Stand at the beginning of every turn. _For a guy who's so adamant about teaching her himself, he forgot something that basic? Or..._Ryan narrowed his eyes at the less savory possibility. _Is he trying to take advantage of a beginner, just to boost his own ego?_

"I draw. Now, ride! **Extreme Battler, Arbarail**(Grade 2, 9000 Power)! Now I attack your Magnum Assault with Ridwan's boost. The rear-guard Magnum Assault," he added with a smirk.

**(9000+5000=14000 VS 9000)**

"So do I take damage, or...?"

"No, but your Magnum will be retired, or put into the drop zone."

"..." Lily stared down at her hand, brows furrowed. After a few seconds, she finally responded. "How many triggers are in one deck?"

August looked confused for a moment, but quickly regathered himself and replied, "Sixteen."

Lily nodded. "So you still have 14 triggers? Then I'll say no guard."

"Good. Drive check...Stand trigger." He grit his teeth. "This lets me give a unit 5000 Power and Stand a rear-guard. I guess I have to Stand Kabutron and give Power to my Vanguard**(Arbarail: 14000+5000=19000)**. Your move."

Sliding Magnum into her drop zone, Lily flipped all of her cards upright, much to Ryan's delight. "Stand and draw. And now, I ride the **Supreme Ruler of the Storm, Thavas**(Grade 3, 11000 Power)!" The card depicted a white-haired man, adorned in white military garb with golden highlights. He held a sword that glowed with green energy and rode upon a kelpie, the aquatic horse rising up threateningly.

"Now I call **Battle Siren, Cipla**(Grade 2, 9000 Power), and **Kelpie Rider, Petros**(Grade 0, 4000 Power) behind Melania!"

Ryan watched in growing excitement. _This is perfect! She's really getting into it, and she's playing so well too! I think she'll want to keep playing after this! _

"Since Thavas is your vanguard, Cipla gets 2000 more Power with it's skill," he said, despite Liam's prior warning about helping Lily. **(Cipla: 9000-11000)**. "And you can use Petros' skill too. I'd attack with that column first, so you don't lose out on it's boost."

Ignoring her opponent's twitching right eye, Lily nodded. "Melania attacks your Vanguard!"(11000 VS 9000)

"No. Guard." August flipped over the top card of his deck, then inhaled deeply when he didn't get a trigger. He looked about ready to bang his head against the table.

Lily raised an eyebrow in concern, but didn't comment. "Thavas attacks, boosted by Andrey! With Petros' skill, I put it into the soul to draw a card and give Thavas 5000 Power!"**(Thavas: 11000-16000)**

**(16000+5000=21000) VS (9000)**

"No guard."

"Drive check. No trigger," Lily said, shrugging at her result.

When August remained silent for almost ten seconds, Ryan shot an accusing look at him. "Aren't you going to tell her about twin drive? About how Grade 3 vanguards get another drive check?"

"I figured you would tell her yourself. You do seem to adore doing that, telling her exactly what to do. What a backseat gamer," August replied, just as hostile.

"Can you two just stop already? You're both teaching me. This whole argument is irrational," Lily interrupted.

August nodded with a condescending look towards Ryan. His next words came mockingly, only thinly veiled by his silky tone. "Of course. I'd be happy to continue playing against _my opponent_. I hope you're also willing to drop this childish bout?" _WHAT?! But I thought-why would he-is he-_

Ignoring Ryan's confounded expression, August gestured to Lily's cards. "Please, continue." He continued to speak in that ever-so-polite voice, though his eyes still glinted with mischievous intent.

Lily didn't seem to notice that, however, as she was already looking to her deck. "Second check. Another critical trigger. Power to Cipla, Critical to Thavas." **(Cipla: 11000-16000)**

August smiled tightly, checking his topmost cards. "First check, heal trigger. I have the most damage, so now I heal one of them. Power to my vanguard." One of the cards in his damage zone slid into his drop zone. (**Arbarail: 9000-14000)** "Second check. Heal trigger. Healing another damage, and the Power to my vanguard."(**Arbarail: 14000-19000)**

Lily seemed startled by the sudden shift in his fortunes, but nonetheless said, "I end my turn."

**[End of Turn 5]**

**Lily-Hand: 4 August-Hand: 7**

**Lily-Damage: 0(Facedown: 0) Liam-Damage: 3(Facedown: 0)**

"I Stand and draw!" Upon seeing the card he drew, August froze. Staring off at some point behind Lily's shoulder, he was quiet for a while. Ryan was about to ask what was wrong, when August's mouth opened and he began on an odd subject.

"You know, a new player wouldn't know this, but some people like to recite a little chant when they ride a Grade 3. Some people think it's childish, but I find it a key part of the...experience." Something about the eerie way he pronounced "experience" sent shivers down Ryan's spine. "So here's my ride chant."

He spread his arms wide, one arm holding most of his hand, while the other held only the card he just drew. "Behold the unstoppable combo kill! Zero to one-hundred, you've already lost! Ride! **Exxtreme Battler, Victor**! **Manifest!**"

As the last word of August's chant passed his lips, a surge of pain flooded through Ryan's body. It was the same feeling he had experienced last night. Except this time, the pain _endured_. In fact, it seemed to grow worse over time. After just a few seconds, he was clutching to the chair beside him, trying desperately not to fall into the ground. The pain was crippling in its intensity; he could hardly move, much less speak.

"Both of them!?" He heard August exclaim, seeming more irritated than surprised at Ryan's sudden seizure. "What are the odds of that happening? Doing it to two people would require so much energy." Another pause. "You're right, Victor. Might as well get it over with for them."

Through his gaze of pain, Ryan was able to feel a rising sense of panic. '_Get it over with'? What does that mean? And isn't Victor- _He thought August uttered a few more words, and there was a sudden flash of light in Ryan's vision. When the light died down, the pain had vanished, and Ryan slowly stood up, cautiously looking over his body for any injury. When his gaze lifted, however, he stumbled back in shock. _That-That's impossible!_

Standing before him were the very cards currently on the table. Or rather, the creatures depicted on those cards.

The first one Ryan saw was the one August must have been speaking to: Victor, a white robot with sleek red armor. Yellow spikes covered its shoulders and elbows, and its head nearly reached the ceiling. On Ryan's other side he saw Thavas, his kelpie steed noticeably absent. He stood behind Lily with a hand on his sheathed sword.

But the one who truly drew his attention was the being depicted on his favorite card, the card that had caused the original surge of pain, the card with the title of Supreme Heavenly Battle Deity. Before him stood Susanoo.

_Heh, cliffhangers. Yeah, probably should've uploaded this alongside the fourth chapter instead of the third. But hey, I'm already halfway finished with that one, so you shouldn't have to wait nearly as long next time. You guys stay safe, and see you soon!_


	4. Up the Stakes

Ryan gazed with wide eyes at the rather intimidating form of Susanoo, particularly the massive sword he was idly twirling in his left hand. The being's attention shifted to Ryan, who heard, in a voice that sounded surprisingly casual, "You have _no idea_ how long I've been waiting for this moment. Though, to be honest, neither do I."

Ryan stared at Susanoo, utterly bewildered for a number of reasons, not least of which being the paradoxical nature of that statement. Fortunately, Lily asked the most pressing of his questions. "How are you real?"

"How are _you _real?" Susanoo retorted childishly, moving to cross his arms before remembering he was holding a sword. He seemed to settle for glaring at her.

Meanwhile, Thavas was still staring at the pair of Liam and Victor. Victor seemed to be returning the gaze, though without any expression on his face, the focus of his attention was difficult to gauge. August, meanwhile, was turning his noticeably bloodshot eyes in any direction except upwards, where Thavas loomed.

Looking down at the floor, which was covered in Lily's cards that had fallen as she underwent her seizure, Thavas' eyes narrowed. Turning to his partner, his vanguard, he noted, "We are still engaged in combat. I would suggest picking up your cards now before the enemy can glean any information from them."

Lily looked up at Thavas incredulously, ignoring how August's gaze had indeed wandered over her scattered cards. "I think this is more important than a card game, don't you?"

Thavas violently shook his head, crouching down to gather up her cards. He straightened, presenting them to her with a grave expression. "No. You must win. You need to protect yourself."

Before anyone could ask how winning a game and ensuring her safety were even slightly related, August interjected into the conversation. His eyes, now locked on the cards on the table, showed unnatural exhaustion, though Ryan couldn't tell if it was physical or emotional. "I could've killed you," he muttered to himself, his soft voice devoid of it's previous bluster. "Why didn't I...No, I need…But is it even worth…?"

He trailed off, staring blankly at the robot beside him. Ryan's attention, however, lingered on one phrase. _He could've killed us? But..._Following August's gaze towards Victor, particularly the two massive swords it held, he shuddered. _Oh._

Lily showed much more visible alarm, immediately dropping the previous conversation to focus on this new information. "Kill us? Why would you do that?!" she exclaimed, drawing odd looks from the various players around the room. Though Ryan couldn't help wondering why the sudden appearance of three imaginary beings hadn't caught their eye.

Before she could create any more of a scene, Susanoo interrupted her. "Oh, shut it. Did you seriously not notice the 'could've' in that sentence? You're fine. Spirits can't hurt you once a cardfight begins." He paused, then added nonchalantly, "Well, unless you lose. Then you should start running. Now if you have any more questions, please ask. I'm sure all those poor people who aren't able to see my face would _love_ for you to keep talking to nothing."

Lily did not, in fact, ask any other questions.

Ryan covered his face with his hands, internally sighing. _Why is the spirit of my favorite card so unbearable? What does that say about me? _His gaze shot up when August declared, "Call **Golsachi**(Grade 2, 9000 Power) and **Sever-Temper**(Grade 2, 9000 Power). Golsachi attacks your vanguard."

**(9000 VS 11000)**

Ryan watched in utter confusion. _Wait, but they both have Grade 3 vanguards. So why didn't he use Stride, or call a unit to boost Golsachi's attack? The attack won't even hit like that. I guess his hand must be full of Grade 0 cards that he can't use. _Though even with that explanation, something still struck him as odd about the situation.

"Sever-Temper attacks your vanguard."

**(9000 VS 11000)**

By this point, the arm August was using to turn his cards began shaking. Lily's eyebrows furrowed with concern, and she said softly, "Please stop. You don't have to prove anything, okay? Just...Just _stop_."

"I can't!" Now his entire body was shaking, and his voice was laced with panic. "I can't stop, because then I'll have forfeited, and then you'll hurt me for what I did to you, and I won't be able to stop you, and would I even want to-"

The rush of words pouring from August was cut off as he was knocked off his chair, landing on the floor with a resounding thud. A bruise mark was already developing on his cheek. Victor retracted his outstretched arm and crouched down, joints squeaking in protest.

The robot hoisted his player's unconscious body into a standing position, and began to move it towards the door with jerking motions that only vaguely resemble walking. Still, it seemed to help avoid detection from most people.

Inches from the door, Victor finally spoke, his emotionless voice ringing through the store. "A panic attack would violate my recently placed fifth parameter. As your presence induces such symptoms, you should cease and desist from interacting with August."

The mech was moving to open the door with his unoccupied hand when Susanoo called back, voice rich with sarcasm. "You do know you won't be able to fit through that door, right?"

Victor paused to reply. "August must be transported from any dangerous locations. As this is the location of his episode, departure from the building is mandatory, even if an appropriate exit must be forcefully created."

As soon as he managed to mentally decipher Victor's odd speech pattern, Ryan rushed over to the robot. "Don't break down the door! I'm sure there has to be a back entrance or something that you could go through!"

"Avoiding property damage is not included in my parameters. The means of departure is irrelevant."

"No, it's not," Ryan hissed back. "Sure, it might not mean anything to you, but causing property damage would cost the store money." Seeing Victor still staring at him blankly, he sighed with exasperation. "Look, nothing in your 'parameters' says you have to destroy a door, so why don't you try to avoid it? It would be...preferable."

For the first time since Ryan had been able to see him, Victor seemed almost confused, staring at the human beside him with glowing green eyes. "Preferable?"

Before Ryan could respond, an irritated Susanoo began to walk over from the table. "This is getting nowhere. Why do you even care if Victor ends up breaking some glass? Are you seriously worried about the kid who just said he would kill you?"

Ryan opened his mouth to form a response to Susanoo's question, only for Victor to suddenly turn and walk back into the store. "If August's safety is endangered by forceful departure, I will have to utilize this alternative route."

As he walked nearer to the table where Lily sat, however, she stood up. She cut into Victor's path, holding up a deck box 'Nova Grappler-Victor' printed across the front. "I think this is yours, right?" Turning to Thavas, she plucked a card from his grasp, placing it atop the box before handing the bundle over to Victor.

"You won Victor's card fair and square!" Thavas protested loudly, seemingly ignoring the rather...unusual circumstances behind said victory.

"Winning doesn't give me the right to steal from people," Lily whispered back, an unusually harsh edge to her voice. "He gave me cards for my deck, free of charge, and I'm not about to repay him by taking things from his unconscious body."

Victor, now holding his user in one hand and belongings in the other, continued his march to the far end of the store. Thankfully, there was a wider metal door on this side, and Victor was able to easily open it with an elbow. Halfway through, the robot paused to make another announcement. "Your assistance is appreciated."

After Victor closed the door, Ryan sat back down across from Lily, dragging a hand across his face tiredly. "Well, that...happened."

"Articulate," Susanoo snarked. Ryan halfheartedly attempted to punch the spirit's shoulder, only for his arm to phase directly through, much to his frustration. "And so intelligent, too."

Lily watched the duo bicker with a distracted look in her eyes. "Why would Liam have even thought of killing us? Couldn't he have just talked about what he wanted? Even those two can't seem to solve their issues peacefully," she mused to herself, not really expecting a reply.

Yet Thavas still supplied one. "Life is a battlefield. This is the truth I have known since my creation."

"Does it have to be that way?" The two were silent for a while, merely observing the others in the room. Finally, seeking to move on from that grim subject and learn a bit more about the one beside her, Lily spoke up. "You said you were created, not born. Where did you come from, then?"

"Nothingness. Blankness. Emptiness beyond description. I have dubbed it the Infinite Impermanence. It-"

"Is the name of a Yugioh card right over there," Susanoo completed, having overheard the conversation. Seeing Susanoo's finger pointing towards the counter, Ryan did notice a card of that name under the glass. "Yeah, you're not fooling anyone, pal. Now come on, neither of us will ever see that place again, so there's no use talking about it."

Ryan turned back in time to see the two humanoid spirits staring each other down. Hearing the screeching sound of a sword being drawn, he waved his hands about frantically. "Hold on! I thought we used Vanguard to settle disputes!"

Thavas narrowed his eyes. "So this was your plan. To arrange a cardfight against my user when she was still new, achieve victory, and take my card for your own gain. Unfortunately for you," he said, pulling Lily into a standing position, "you won't get the chance to do so. Come, Lily, you should practice against those who can't benefit so much from your defeat."

As Lily was being dragged towards a more occupied table, she called back to Ryan, "Sorry about Thavas, but I don't think he'll let us play together. Maybe later!"

Ryan watched Lily sit down with another player, watched them set up their cards. "Maybe later," he repeated under his breath, recalling all the text messages he'd received. _Next time for sure, huh? _He looked on in misery and sighed. _I shouldn't have expected this to work out. When has it ever? Well, maybe next time..._

**A few miles away**

August's eyes opened blearily, only to instantly shut them again as his eyes registered sunlight. He felt his body being dragged somewhere, and he threw out his fists wildly in a bid to escape. The grip only tightened, however, and he heard a familiar voice say, "Heart rate rising. Prepare for calming procedure." The sound of metal screeching against metal came from beside his head.

Recognizing the tone and noise, August frantically shouted, "No! Put me down! I'm fine! I'm fine." Soon enough, his feet were on the ground of his own accord. Looking around, he managed to find a street sign, giving a relieved sigh when he saw that they were only three blocks from his house_. Crazy robot, trying to get in another punch disguised as "calming". He better not have hit me too hard._

Tentatively pressing a hand to the right side of his face, he winced briefly before forcing his face back into anger. _I swear, if this bruise lasts more than a few days, I'll take Victor to see Stutter. I'm sure that weirdo would like some scrap metal._

Feeling a robotic hand press against his shoulder, he shrugged off the grip and leapt away. "Get away from me, idiot. And don't say you're trying to help me," he added, recalling Victor's common phrasing. He began walking towards his house, ignoring the wave of exhaustion that was now washing back over him. After a few yards without being followed, August looked back and called, "Come on, slowpoke!"

After a few minutes, the duo finally came upon August's house, a three-story building painted navy blue. They were but a few feet away from the yard, however, when a voice rang out. "August, I didn't think you would return yet."

Rolling his eyes, August turned to see precisely who he had expected. "I live here, idiot. Did you think I would sleep at the game store?"

Across from August was a junior, two years his senior, who still managed to be several inches shorter than him. A veritable nest of hair, which even matched the color of twigs, adorned his head. Dull blue eyes stared at August, who looked back in resignation.

Calem didn't seem to notice anything of the sort, however. "No, that wasn't what I meant. It's just that I can normally count on you to keep to a schedule; you come back from the game stores within 5 minutes of 7:10. Yet it's currently 7:23, which doesn't make any sense, because your deck should be capable of ending games with the first stride. Games shouldn't take more than half an hour."

There was a pause. "You know what I'm doing," he finally replied. _You were the first, after all. _"Do you really need to ask why it takes so long for me to get back?"

Calem tilted his head with something akin to curiosity, though with his matter-of-fact attitude, it was tough for Liam to tell. "Oh, so after the last thirteen days of silence, Victor found someone with potential? The twentieth, I believe?"

"Yeah," Liam replied, in no particular mood to elaborate on details. _I guess twice the people means twice the exhaustion. _

"Well, then, that's all I needed to hear," Calem completed stiffly, spinning on his heels toward a green car parked on the side of the road.

Even as he saw Calem walking away, some forsaken part of August felt compelled to ask, as nonchalantly as possible, "Is it right? What I'm doing?" _Could it be worth the pain I see on their faces?_

Calem stopped, turning slightly towards Liam as his hand rested on the door handle. "You're the only one who can do this, August. It's worth a bit of temporary pain."

Hearing only silence in reply, Calem frowned and continued. "Listen. After you help twenty-one spirits arrive in this world, you can stay out of the conflict. I'll get eleven of those spirits, and you'll get exactly what you asked for. But until then, you just have to keep making Vanguards."

August nodded, if only to end their conversation. Calem finally moved into the driver's seat of his car, and was soon but a speck on the horizon. Sighing in relief, August turned back to his house, intentionally walking ahead of Victor, who had remained silent throughout the exchange.

As he shakily ascended his porch steps, August thought back through the many people he'd used his power on over the last year. But as he began to recall their faces, he stopped himself, shook his head. _Calem's right, they got up just fine after a few seconds, didn't they? Yeah, yeah. Besides, didn't I basically give them superpowers? They should be thanking me for that! All twenty of them!_

Something in the back of his mind had questions about methods, doubts about himself, thoughts about the number twenty. Yet the sight of his bed combined with the force of his exhaustion took center stage in his mind. August fell upon the mattress, and was asleep within seconds, dreaming of those things he was too afraid to wonder in consciousness.


End file.
